The Sun. — London, England, 1864-06-24 00:00:00

:RICA, (From the Ti Ines Correspondent.) BALTIMORE, June 7. The remarks of a p ortion of the English press, which seem to admit t, lilt Gen. Grant has hitherto had the advantage in the campaign against Rich mond, have been received in this city with great surprise. So far from having had the advantage, Grant in every movement he has made has been foiled, if not defeated. He has been forced to abandon every position he has assumed, and after a month's strategy and fully a fortnight of hard fight ing he has lost one way or another close upon 100,000 men in killed, wounded, missing, and pri soners, and finds himself upon the Chickahominy, a place which he could have reached without the loss of a battalion if either he or the authorities at Wash ington had not been so perverse as to reject that mode of approach to Richmond because it was the favourite route of Gen. liTlellan. Having made a long detour from the North Anna he was confronted at his next halting place at Mechanicsville by the whole strength of the Confederate army. No thing daunted by his repeated and costly failures ho essayed during a whole week to force that position ; but finding his supplies in danger of being out off, and having lost upwards of 7,500 men on Friday, the 3d inst., in one futile assault upon the enemy's works in front of him, he has once again found it necessary to change his plans, to abandon Cold Harbour and Mechanicsville, which he discovered to be as strongly fortified as any place with which his brave but luckless legions have come into contact; and to make a new and, it is to be supposed, a final endeavour to reach Richmond by crossing the Chickahominy below Newbridge. This was M'Clellan's plan, and from all present appear ances a few days will show whether he can make more of it than his predecessor, Up to this moment, however, he has gained nothing. He has exhibited a bulldog pertinacity. He has sacrificed his men. He has practically declared that he knows no such word as " He has been knocked down and got up again. He has been repulsed and returned to the encounter. He has taken but slight heed of difficulties, and has exhibited a degree of courage which is the result eitner of heroism or of ignorance. Finally he has sat down to besiege a city which is strongly fortified in front and has all its communications open in the rear, which rear he cannot reach. Even the New York papers, which are always shouting "victory" when there is no victory, begin to admit, with wry faces and the worst possible grace, that a siege thus begun may last the whole summer, and that before the summer is half over, the besieging army, settled in a swamp and sweltering in the rays of a Southern sun, are much more likely to lose half their numbers by fever and dysentery than to produce the slightest effect upon the courage or the resources of the besieged. The battle of Friday last, of which but very slight and cursory mention has been made by the War Department, but of which the full details have been communicated to the public by witnesses of and participators in its horrors, was precipitated by General Grant with the intention of making it the crisis of the campaign. The position assailed was supposed to be the key to Richmond, Ina the Chickahominy; but as on all previous occasions since the passage of the Rapidan, the Federal com mander found it impossible either to surprise or de feat his ever-vigilant opponent. In less than ten minutes the battle was ended. The Confederate shot poured through the masses of the Federals, cutting them down by hundreds at one discharge— so thick were their advancing ranks; and in almost ices time than it takes to writ© down the sentence which records their braveryand their doom upwards of 0,000 men received their death wound and lay sprawling and helpless on the bloody field. Even the stoicism of Grant, though not outwardly moved, as far as the eyes of his watchful aides could dis cover, gave way. He ordered no renewal of the charge that had cost him so many thousands, inclu sive of five generals and 20 colonels ; and after hasty consultation with Gen. Meade, and afterwards with Generals Hancock and 'Warren, appears to have made up his mind that he was not on the right road to Richmond, and that he had either to besiege it by regular process or find some other and more available route by which he could carry it by strategy or a coup de main. People who are ordinarily rapid for the prosecu tion of the war are becoming alarmed at Grant', contempt for human life. He values his legions no more than if they were coveys of partridges. Al, rea d y it is whispered that nearly 1,100 officers a'ee to be included in the 90,000 or 100,000 mer e w h o h ave been killed, wounded, and taken pris driers since he began his sanguinary march. He is spoken of as the " butcher," and a requisition is hinted at calling upon the President to remove him. Not only the friends of the South but multitudes of earnest Northern men have alrevay cone to the conclusion that his campaign is a ailure—that he has done his utmost and can do no more, and that he has already done as little as 'alaClellan at a cost ten times a s fearful. To-day some English officers and news paper correspondents who arrived in this eity from the front, report that the losses on Friday last were nearer 15,000 than 7,000 ; that ea Saturday and Sunday 5,000 or 6,000 more were sacrificed to the obstinacy of the LieutenantaGeceral, and that a spirit of disaffection has arisen i a the army which threatens to become a mutiny, ;_f the men continue to be driven like machines, against impregnable positions, without the slirahtest solicitude whether 10 or 10,000 lives are sacrificed in the attempt. Baltimore, ariatocrPaie and fashionable, is so engrossed with the war news that it thinks and speaks of nothing bat Grant and Lee. Baltimore, democratic and unfashionable, is, on the contrary, wholly absorbed by the proceedings of the Conven tion. The, 'noble art of President-making seems in its initial stages to require a vest amount of music ae , a oratory. As the 'witches could not transform the Thane of Glamis into the Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland without much incantation and a mnsical accompaniment, so the delegates who have C3lllO hither to boil the Presidential caldron and threw their several weird ingredients into the mass, cannot perform their allotted parts without the aid of fife and drum, the brass band and the tru mpet. All day long and half the night, the delegati ons, who have detcrmire e d t o prolong the reign of M. Lincoln, live ;.a an atmosphere of music. Under the balconies, of the hotels, where they are lodged in batchce—the representatives of each State keep togetb.er.--30M0 at Barnum's, some at the Eutaw hoese, some at Guy's, &c,, the minstrels gather, to make the day unpleasant and the night hideous 'with " Yankee Doodle," " Hail Columbia," "Star spangled Banner," and "John Brown's Body Lies Mouldering in the Grave," varied occasionally with the mare agreeable melodies of the " Trovatore" and the " Puritani." These musical performances are, however, but baits for speeches. The crowds that aeseenble under the windows listen patiently while the band plays, and when the musicians have done shout for Rome member of the delegation to show himself, After short and coy delay he appears, and addresses his fellow-citizens with loud voice and violent gesticulation. If the speaker be from New York, Philadelphia, or Boston, or any civilised para of the Union, the speech is for the most part prac tical, though ornate, and dwells largely upon the necessity of recruiting the last man, spending the last dollar to crush the rebellion, and the equally urgent necessity of re-electing " the statesman, the patriot, and champion of liberty, Abraham Lin coin" for another term. If the speaker be from the 'West—from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, or Kansas, he is equally stong oa the last man, the l ast d ollar, and the peculiar fitneee of Mr , Lincoln for his place, but far more emphatic in his denunciation of the rebels, and profuse in the employ went of such words as " hell," " damnation," and the " These and some kindred expressions seem to form the s t aple of Western oratory. " The rebels," said a Bria dier-General from Ohio last night to a crowd under " have but t wo the balcony of th e E u t aw Hotiee, rights to which they can lay claim. The one is a Constitution 7AI ri,h4 and the other iE a Divine right. They have a Constitutional right to be hung•—they have a Divine right to be damped." Another Western orator at Barnum's declared that "Icff Doris would be in hell in less than six weeks, and that Abraham Liacoln was the noblest man that God had ever created." Ile was followed shortly THE CDT afterwards by a very fluent speaker, who took much lower ground, and declared that " Lincoln was a common man, an ordinary man, a labouring man ; that a republican form of government required no other kind of man for a chief magistrate, and that it was the glory of the country that any hewer of wood or drawer of water was fit to be a President." This kind of talk went on all day yesterday, con• tinned till midnight, and was resumed this morning, and will doubtless last out the day, until the Con. vention assembles for the first time for the transac. tiara of business. All these preliminaries are but interludes to pass the time and to amuse the people. In the intervals the several delegations meet in secret to compare notes and draw up plans for the more im• portant procedure of the evening. In one thing only are the delegations from all the States agreed, which is, that Mr. Lincoln shall be nominated for President. Whom to place upon the same ticket for Vice-President is as yet undecided. Mr. Hamlin, the actual Vice-President, does not seem to be a favourite; and the names of Governor Andrew Johnson, of Tennessee, formerly a tailor and now a gentleman who is popularly known as the "ribboned ox," because he is a renegade from the Democratic p a rty, and declared, while he was yet true to tho faith, that a renegade was like an ox in ancient sacrifices—to be led to slaughter with a riband around:his neck, and who is also celebrated for being the most accomplished adept in the art of speaking Bancombe which the United States have produced, and Mr. Horace Greeley, editor of the New York Tribune, have been mentiohed for the post. The first point to be settled, however, is the chairman.. ship of the Convention, for which there will be a keen struggle, for the reason that any person who occupies such a position in a nominating Convention has a claim upon the President thereby elected for almost any office in the Government to which he may consider himself entitled. The two most pro minent, though not the most likely candidates, are Mr. Simon Cameron, of Pennsylvania, and Mr. Raymond, editor of the New York 7inzes ; the former of whom is said to look upon the Secretary ship of State, and the latter upon the Embassy to Paris as his appropriate reward. Although the delegations are unanimous for Mr. Lincoln, they are dissatisfied with Mr. Lincoln's Administration, and are believed to have exacted a promise that he will make a clean sweep of all his Secretaries from Mr. Seward downwards, and appoint a totally new set of men if he be re-elected. It appears that Mr. Lincoln's friends were unne cessarily alarmed by the statement that a delegation of the supporters of General Fremont or Mr. Chase was in the city and had determined to meet 24 hours in advance of the regular Convention, and declare themselves in favour of the one term prin ciple. If any such meeting was held last night it was held in secret, and the secret has been well kept. Nobody seems to have heard or to know anything about it. It is, clear, however, that the proceedings of the Cleveland Convention--the ac ceptance of the nomination by General Fremont— and the bold denunciatory letter in which he declares that he will oppose Mr. Lincoln, but no other can didate of the Union party, have fallen like thunder claps from a blue aky among the place-holders, office-seekers, contractors, and shoddyites, who form three fourths, if not nine-tenths of the Lincoln de. legation. They fear that this great disruption of the Republican party—unaccompanied, and not likely to he accompanied, by any similar spirit in the Democratic ranks—will, in the event of General Grant's failure, or the prolongation for the next three months of his bloody and, as yet, bootless campaign, lead to the success of General The friends of M'Clellan aro delighted. They ' ,44 , a discovered in Fremont qualities which the- j, . 'aver saw before. They admire hi s high pri , Ac i. rie, his stern opposition to illegality, his hatr ,- 4 of the Lin. colnian despotism, a n d a l most wise- that he would be one of th em an d come over 'Ai the camp of the " Copperheads." Th e RePe'..dican jou rna l s i n t h e Lincoln interest either bel abour him with hard but harmless words, or affe4tio pity him for the hope less shipwreck whic'Al they assert he has made both of his reputation scud his chances. Bat the truth is, supposing, always that Grant be removed from the arena `,J3 , his non-success in the field, that the real straggle is more likely to be between Generals Fl rdioat an a NVOlrllau than be v?cen Mr. Lincoln And any_other candidate; and that if the contest be decided by popular vote, and not by a military coup d'etat, or the transference of the decision from the body of the people to the House of Representatives, —a contingency that may arise it no candidate out of the many has the abso lute majority of the whole number of voters—Mr. Lincoln's chances are the poorest of all. Of course this is not the opinion of the Baltimore Convention. They were sent to nominate Mr. Lincoln, and they will nominate him at ail hazards. JUNE 9. Contrary to expectation the chairmanship of the Convention has been settled without a struggle, neither of the favourites, Cameron or Raymond, having manifested a desire to contest it. The pro visional chairmanship was conferred on Dr. Brecken ridge, of Kentucky, an uncle of General Brecken ridge of the Confederate army, who made a very truaulent speech, in which he asserted that the liberties of the American people required a great deal of blood to consolidate them, and that the more that was shed the longer the Republic was likely to endure. The reverend gentleman, however, did not say that he was prepared to offer up his own blood for the cause which he has at heart, which is perhaps a pity, if it is his intention to make any more such speeches as that with which he inaugu rated the proceedings of the Convention. The per manent chairman, elected by unanimous vote, was Mr. Denison, formerly Governor of Ohio, who en. tered on his functions in a milder manner and spoke more like a man of business and less like a fiery zea lot than his temporary predecessor. The Erst busi ness was to decide upon the credentials of the several delegations; and as Louisiana, Florida, Vir ginia, South Carolina, and even the outlying ter ritories of the Union in the Far West which have not yet arrived at the maturity of States were re presented, it became a matter of some interest to knew how their pretentious would be received. Mr. Thaddeus Stevens, of Pennsylvania, who has no hope of restoring the Union, and insists upon treat ing the Confederacy as a foreign nation with which the Republic is at war, objected to allow any dele gates from Soathern States in partial occupation of the Feder a l armies to be admitted, declaring his e l r B°w opinion th at any recognition of their claim to seat 8 in the Conve nt i on would be the establishment of 'a fa principle, that w ou ld b e more i n j ur i os as to the Federal cause than til a as p d i e tc c h , : ed ; , attle. After exceptior. to admit the Carolina,dl o e n ie g g and at oewsx,hc with deb:te loss it f was ahse d Par of that from S o uth composed of negroes. "le high position assumed by the bulk of Mr. Lincol n ' s e This was a upporters, who claim d e scent fro ont . 4 , 11 Y for the negro t i oat he is alway s a 8 good as a white man, and sometimes a great deal better (as most people "would admit if they saw Mr. Frederick Dmsglas and Senator Lane, of Kan sas, together, and 1 :4 ear d them m a k e s p e eches). This knotty point dis posed of, in a manner which can ecarcely meet the approbation of Mr. Wendell Phillips, ai r. Ward Beecher, the strong-minded women, and t h e Churches, a new difficulty arose as to the admission of a second and anti-Lincoln deputation from ;an s . souri. Angry debates took place on thesubjecnbutas the deputation was the only dissentient, and its sd. mission could have no effect upon the final decision, it was admitted under protest. It registered 22 votes for Gen. Grsnt, but afterwards supported the nom:- nation of Mr. Lincoln, which was thus made unani mous. Mr. Hamlin was somewhat contemptuc asly set aside as Vice-President, and Governor Andrew Johnson, of Tennessee, named in his stead, also by a unanimous vote. With the adoption of a "platform,' or series cf resolutions, the proceeding terminate d. Nothing further remained but to hold the ratifi cation meeting in the open square in the evening. The people of Baltimore were invited to attend —about 460 peopie—mostly soldiers, ear-drivers, labourers, and nand negr oes ; the floating population of the town obeyed the summons, but there was not even a sprinkling of the trading, professional, and wealthy classes to bear them company. A transpa „say was for that "ex theat theplace heel of the old TUE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY.EVENING, JUNE 24, 1864. rattlesnake's head," and a string of violent speeches, of the true Western style and brimful of words that are not ordinarily mentioned to ears polite, were made to the crowd. The proceedings lasted from 8 o'clock till half.past 11, when the Baltimore Con• vention became a thing of the past. The inhabi tants declare that it was the tamest and most spirit less convention ever held in the city. This morn ing the streets have resumed their normal appear ance, the delegates have departed, the bands are silent, the voice of Buncombe is heard no more in the land, and once again the attention of everybody who has a thought to spare from business is directed to the battle -fields of Virginia, and to the great events that are there to be decided—events that may make an end of Mr. Lincoln as a public man, end render his convention as idle as the silliest speech that was made in it. THE ROYAL SOVEREIGN, This vessel made her official trial of speed and power of circling with full and reduced steam pressure yesterday, at the trial ground in Stokes Bay, near Portsmouth, under the personal superintendence of Rear-Admiral R. S. Robinson, Controller of the Neu, and by the success which attended the day's proceedings the public may be fairly congratulated on another and most formidable craft having been added to our list of effective ironclada, really effective in the sense that at 24 hours' notice she could join the Channel fleet, and accompany it if necessary for active service in the Baltic. We must preface our account of yesterday's trial with a brief description of the ship and her present appearance, for the Royal Sovereign as now completed is a different vessel in many respects from what she was intended to be at the first commencement of the work of her conversion. This is but a natural result following upon the execution of so novel a work, where every one engaged was very possibly feeling his way, and improving upon the details as the ship grew into her new form. The time occupied in the conversion has undoubtedly been long, and the cost has also undoubtedly been great, yet every one who may go over the ship will be compelled to admit that the result is satisfactory, and that the Royal Sovereign has an appearance of efficiency about her that very few anticipated, and is far more sightly to the eye when seen clear from other surrounding objects on the water than could have been expected. Yesterday, on getting clear of the harbour and reaching the open water at Spit head, she looked with her bulwarks up and short masts just capping the funnel like some gigantic gunboat under jury rig. With her bulwarks down she presents the now well, known Monitor type of form, her turrets showing out distinctly in their positions along the ridge of curved bul. deck. Much of h e r ra ft lik e appearance which ,th e po essed ~ a few month s b ac k h as b een ta k en away le:s pe a r light iron Utted round he r u p wark 3ft Ein in d e pth, w hi c h h as b een deck, and which throw s down c4twards on hi nge d stan chions. The three short signal `Jr drying p o l es w i t h which she has been fitted also t en d s ~o improve her appearance, but they would have done so far more effectively had they been of greater length. stepping on to the Royal Sovereign's upper deck we at once see its curved or " turtle-backed" shape, and along the crest of this curve stand the four tur rets and pilothouse, funnel and casing, hatchways, masts (if such puny sticks may be so termed), ventilating shafts, &e. Round the stern are carved the Royal arms in bold re lief, and surmounting the stemhead is the figurehead of the ship, a well-executed crowned lion, 5 ft bin in length by 4ft in height, with bristling mane and half-lifted paw. Ex. cepting the figure of the lion, everything above the deck is painted white. The foremost turret, standing sft abovr tk e deck, has its top covered by a grating, and is surround'A b y a handrail, and th us a ff or d s a deck prumenade for t . ,, a.o fu „ of the watch or l oo k- out man, and communi ,:ates with a further space availabl e f or th e same purp r Jse on the t o p o f the pilot-house, which s t an d s next to and on the top of the funnel casing. The three sine6.l, gun-turrets are Oft Sin above the deck, and have a a .ouble line of rails 20 inches in depth round their tops to which will thus form ',tow the men's hammocks in, and capital rifle pits. The tops of the tur rets are closed by , the necessary ' heavy angle iron and inch-plating with '..aan and ventilating holes. All other aper turesd b - ,ir open down below from the upper deck are wrought iron bare 4f in by Ilin,placed in massive wrar ..ght iron framing edgewise 41in apart, and thus prevent entrance of shell or shot by those passages to the 'tween decks. The carved upper deck of the vessel appears at first eight to be dangerously " soft" when looked at in close proximity to the massive armour of the sides and turrets, nothing being visible but wooden planking. In truth, how ever, this deck is not quite so vulnerable as it appears to be. The wooden planking, Gin in thickness, is laid upon iron plates lin in thickness, the latter having all their butts and sides riveted together with wide straps of iron of the same thickness, and further strengthened by stringer-lines of inch plating running fore and aft and round the hatchway's and funnel casing. This combined iron and wooden deck is laid upon rolled iron beams and the original wooden beam. of the ship, which are fixed so closely together that even if a shot or shell penetrated through both iron and wooden deck it would be difficult for it to force a further passage through to the deck below. The probable influx of water had also to be provided against, for with her bulwarks down and heavy ann. at cks...anal, with a brQoas on, there is no doubt a considerable quantity of water might wash over the deck. To meet this contingency therefore stout leather flaps, metal-weighted at their outer edges, are fixed round the turrets, and effectually close the open space in the deck against the admission of any great quantity of water. Iron comings nearly three feet in depth aro fitted to all the hatchways, &c., for the same purpose. The pilot house is an oval structure, plated with 51 inch armour, and stands between the foremost turret and tunnel casing. In side it affords to the captain and master, or other officer, a perfectly secure means of observation in every direction, and a means of communication with the engine room, tur rets, and all parts of the ship, either by ordinary ship's telegraph or voice tube, while right underneath and in sight of those in the pilot-house is fixed the wheel for steering the ship. The two chief boats are carried on crutches amid ships between the centre turrets. We heve so recently given detailed descriptions of the Royal Sovereign's fitting a a turret ship and her conversion from a three-decker that it will be only necessary on the present occasion to further refer generally to the subject, and enter again into any de tails only sufficient to describe the actual differences existing between our experimental turret ship and those which are in the possession of other powers, from the greater number of which she materially differs either in form of hull, nature of armour disposition, and the fitting of her turrets, &c. As a cut-down three-decker she differs from all others of her class—in her form of hull below the water-line, where she carries the original three-decker or V form of bottom, in creased in its displacement some nine feet downwards from he water-line by the lower tier of armour plates and its strengthening backing, outside the ship's hull proper and supporting shelf, to the plates' lower edge, of a double thick ness of 41 inch teak planking, laid on diagonally, She differ s from most others in her turrets revolving by four different appliances of power, by hand—by rack and pinion inside the turret; do. outside and a fixture on lower deck ; tackles; and handspikes shipped and manned like capstan bars, in lieu of one method only—by steam. In her armour she also differs from all the American vessels of the same description, from the 15 Russian Monitors now afloat in the Baltic, and from several built by other Powers, in its being composed of solid forgings, or, more correctly speaking, of solid rolled plating,instead of a number of ie _ -- or inch-and-halt pl a t es b o lted t oge th er, as i s the _ ,oh r the American and Russian Monit ors i n part ...se with eular. Both Americans and Russians, however, ad n ,L , that solid masses of metal are preferable for protect'. ve armour, wh e th er f or ships or forts, to the same or e - Jen a much greater weight of 1 iron divided into inch thin' 'finesses and bolted together by in numerable bolts; bat' point to the necessity which existed in their case for `..ne speedy creation of their Monitors, in the one ens ee for . the capture of Ch ar l es t on an d other ports in the r..,0n of the American C on f e d erate S tates, and in the °t '...er for the protection of Cronstadt and Sweaborg. It is in the disposition of her turrets, however, that the Royal I Sovereign differs most from the American Monitors, and, as the commanders of the latter vessels have found it 1 necessary to "assign reasons for their failing t) capture Charelston " in their combined attack upon that place, a comparison of the turrets on board the Royal So vereign and those of the American vessels cannot fail to be otherwise than interesting at a time when our first turret ship has made, under official supervision, her maiden essay under steam. We propose to pursue this comparison under four heads only :-1. Exposed height of turret above the deck. 2. Turret's support at base when revolving or repelling shock when struck by shot. 3. Jamming of port stoppers or mantelets. 4, Disabling of gun carriages. The American Monitors' turrets are 9 feet f at height above the upper deck, on which, indeed their'ease rests on a brass ring, When thus resting on the 7 Ipper deck it has no means of revolving, so that wiv . ..n. the turret is prepared for si aion it has to be lifte: from off the deck by a st..,reW wedge l bears the sa m e relation te the turretlow t ae base of a s pi n dl e upon t h e d eck b e d o r n iv d en nwhiiet,aospindle as dof:s the spindle of an ordinary ship's capstan), and then is revolved, resting upon this single central spindle by geard wheels driven by steam, the whole weight of the turret being above the plane of the deck exposed to the enemy's fire, and the turret itself further capped by the " pilot. h ouse" —another mass of laminated iron, making the whole structure, which is dependent for its free movement, I and _c.o,usequent effici ency, upon the continued perfect per pendicularity of the iron aptudle in its centre, 13ft 6in in height. Contrast this with the Royal Sovereign's turrets. All four of her turrets have their base and working portion A re m st e in ri g ca u ra n nd th t e hu l a w , L to an enemy's shot, 1, i e n r 8 and ad n o o f t e t x h p e o : . i i p t 1 p g e a r h d e e i c g k h , ta of fsvi left th Feinie 1 ey only show —in the foremost or double .gun turret, sft above the deck —in the three after or single-gun turrets, 4ft 3M above the deck. ac action gi v en there is sremarkable difference. The American turret depends solely upon the perfect perpendicularity of its central spindle,like the peg ot a boy's top when spinning. The Royal Sovereign's, on the contrary, distribute their weight over a large space. The table upon which the turret stands is pivot e d in its centre upon a wrought-iron cylinder, sufficiently large fora man to pass through, while the weight is distributed on bevilled wheels over a metal roadway equal ling the turret's circumference in a manner very similar to , the machinery of a railway turntable. Here it will be seen at once is a non-exposure of surface to shot and a support and distribution of weight which the American Monitors do not possess —on the contrary, they possess its weakest opposites. In the American Monitors the port stoppers (to protect the crew when loading the gun) aro of iron, and swing upon an iron pivot. In the Royal Sovereign they are massive rope mantelets (after the fashion taught us by the Russians at Sebastopol), with cable grummets work- d sailor-fashion round the gun inside the port, sufficiently strong to keep any rifle ball or sp inters from large pro jectiles or shells from entering the port. In the American vessels the guns have ne breeching, but trust entirely to a powerful compressor. The Royal Sovereign's gun carriages, on the contrary, have not only powerful com pressors, but they have, as all guns at sea should have, good breechings, with carriages working on in clined planes with great friction. To make this part of our report as clear as possible to the general reader we will here describe the interior of the turrets, the monster guns with which they are armed, and the appliances for working them. The ship's armament consists of five guns, generally known as the 121 don gun, or 30 0. pounder. The gun's diameter of bore is 101 in, and had thy been rifled they would have been 300-pounders, but as tliey have nut been rifled they can only throw 1501 b spherical shot, with a 401 b charge of pow der. What the effect of the Royal Sovereign's concentrated five guns' delivery of st3el shot, fired with 501 b charges, upon the side of an opposing ironclad would be may be pretty fairly estimated by the fate of the Lord Warden target in the recent experimental iring at Shoeburyness. Two guns are mounted in the forersost turret, and one in each of the other three turrets. From the plane of the table on which the guns and their carriages rest, the turrets have each a clear interior height of 9a, and are sufficiently spacious for the crew to move about iti and work the guns. In the fore most turret 13 men will be stationed when the guns aro manned—that is, six met to each gun, with a captain or di rector of the turret, in no three single gun turrets 9 men will be stationed—eight nen to work the gun and the cap tain of turret. In the Roeal Sovereign the old title of" cap tain of the gun' is superseded by "captain of the turret " nor are they trai ne d i '• ' object,f or the properly ralrye speaking ateelgf; for the sights a re on an top of the turret, and th 3 turret itself ' axed upon the trained upon the object, m e h en , oy its revol v i ng i s "captain of the turret." ..a3 the now ne s i gna ti on , form, having an incline - 71) '., guns work on a ma ss i ve plat the recoil, which of 4 degrees, thu s great l y c h ec ki ng gun is held th ;- .d abo u t 6 fn and on reachin g w hi c h the ereby a po wer f u l p a to enable th e to the ta . re -load it e w for which p urpose th ere i s amp l e room between w , attaale of the gun an d t h e turret ' s port. The shot is .nipp e d up from the deck below by an ingenious contri vance and carried in a shot bearer to the gun's mouth, ' where all the loaders have to do is to force it down upon the charge. When the gun is loaded, one man releases it from the paul and runs it out on the inclinea plane. The captain then gives the directions for training the turret, and for elevating or depressing the guns preparatory to firing. Two men elevate and depress each of these heavy pieces without having to go in the rear or behind the gun or car riage. Two of the guns are fitted with the means of eleva tion and depression on Lieutenant Rociae's principle, and the remaining three on what is termed the Ordnance plan, which, however, it is only just to say is simply a modifica tion of Lieutenant Roche's plan. The guns with their carriages and the turrets in which they are mounted appear to have been rendered as complete as possible in all details, even the men's cutlasses and revolvers, with the spare gun breechings and other gear, being all stowed away and to hand in the interstices of the turret : but to the turrets and their guns we intend to refer at much greater length when they have gone through the trial it is intended to subject them to, when the guns will be fired under similar con ditions to what usual occur during an actual engagement either with a ship or fort. In the official reports made by the commanders of the American turret vessels in defence of their failing in their attacks upon Charleston, we find the cause of their failure clearly stated to arise from circumstances which could not occur on board the Royal Sovereign. Thus the Passaic's turret was jammed by a broken portion of the brass ring at its base. The Nantucket's turret was jammed by nuts and boltheads falling under the base. The Weehawken's turret revolved with difficulty owing to a shot having struck the pilot-house on its top and bent the central spindle; the Nahant's turret refused to turn and became jammed from the effects of two blows from shot about the composition ring at the base of the pilot house. The Nantucket's gun was rendered useless by the inflating of her port-stopper by a shot indentation, and on another occasion her llin gun was disabled from the carriage not having been properly compressed. Now, if reference is made to our description of the Royal Sove reign's turrets, it will be seen that no shot can strike their base as with the Passaic; that no boltheads or nuts could stop their revolving as with the Nantucket, nor could any number of blows on the pilot-house affect the turrets in any way as with the Weehawken, from the fact of the Royal Sovereign's pilot-house being an independent structure— nor would her ports become blocked up by the jamming of iron port-stoppers, because the more sensible plan of rope mantelets has been adopted in her case—nor could her gun carriages become disabled owing to the serious fault of hav ing only one means of control over their movement. We think the comparison has thus been pursued sufficiently far to make clear the main differences existing ,„, turret ship Royal Sovereign and the turret ships belonging to foreign Powers, and also the vast superiority, excepting in her draught of water, of our own turret ship over the laminated armour turret vessels of the American and Rus sian navies, and we shall now proceed to narrate the events of yesterday's trial, premising that the Royal Sovereign now figures in the fficial Navy List as an iron cased cupola ship of 3,963 tons, driven by engines of 800 horse power (by Maudslay, Sons, and Field;, driving a common two-bladed screw of 18ft diameter, and her length is 230 ft, and her ex treme breadth 631. The Controller of the Navy arrived at Portsmouth by the p first e e train d morning, and immediately f t r o "l th L e roc d ffy n ar ' d es a te n r d d o a n y board the Royal Sovereign —which was lying with steam up in readiness, Admiral Sir Michael Seymour, G.C.8., (Port Admiral and Naval Commander-in-Chief), Rear Admiral George Elliot (Super intendent of Portsmouth Dockyard), and Rear Admiral S. C. 8., accompanied R ear Ad m i ra l R ob i nson on C. Decres, board the ship, where a large number of other naval officers were assembled to witness the trial, including Captain Hall, R.N., private secretary to the Duke of Somerset ; Captain Sherard Osborn, C,8., the future captain of the ship; Captains A. A. Cochrane, C,8., G. P. Hornby, C. 8., A. Phillimore Preedy, C.B , an d H. W i ll s, o f t h e Channel fleet ; J. B. Dickson, of the Irresistible, screw liner; Com mander Simpson of the Victoria and Albert R .yal yacht, and others. Mr. Evans, from the Hydrographer's Depart menthiifsm at c 0 the p a sses. Admiralty, was also present, regarding the s Captain H. Caldwell, C. 8., commanding her Majesty's ship Asia and the steam reserve, at Potts. mouth, h e R w o a y s a i l n command, and conducted the day's trials. T Sovereign steamed out of harbour tor Spithead immediately Admiral Rubinson came on board, her draught of water being 21ft 2in forward, and 24it 10in aft, her top sides (not measuring hor iron bulwarks, but from .1 of her side armour plating to the water-lino " le to p out of water amidships. Her engine.- , oeing 7ft 6in steam was put on and the ship '- measured mile with fu" e at through her runs at the power the eogineP -, and half boiler power. At full made 52 revolutions per minute, and the true mean s - - At hs'' . were kept at slow _peed of four runs was 11.006 knots per hour. power two rune were made, the engines giving 421 .evolutions, the mean speed being B'l7l knots. In the most successful trial the ship made as an unmasted three-decker just fitted with her new machinery sho realised with lull boiler power a speed of 12'252 knots, but it was a calm, and her draught of water was only 18tt Sin forward and 21tt 9in aft. This gives an increcsed immersion of the ship yester- terlay of fully aft, and the ship had also to contend against a strong westerly breeze, whereas on her three-decker trial it was a calm. Allowing, therefore, for the ship's increased immersion, and the difference in the weather, the difference in the ship's speed is satisfactorily accounted for, although an additional half knot might have been attained, but for the defective draught in the fires, which only admitted of an average pressure of 171 b of steam being obtained instead of full 201 b. This defect will, however, beat once remedied by lengthening the funnel left. The ship has been eat down, and the funnel has also been cut down until it has a preposterously short length from its top to the top of th; fire•gato. It is a matter easily remedied, and the ship w in then obtain abundance of steam from the boilers for the service of her engines. The ship was next tested in making circles, to ascoh a i n her turning powers, with full and half boiler power, with results as follows : Full-power.—To port, with ordir ,s , whsel eh deck.— Helm got up in 1 min, to a^ ..., n ,oe of rudder of 16} deg. The half circle marl- • . z ~- t4„4, 21 sec, and the full circle in 6 min 35 ''' '-' I , u ; '''' - 52 to 10. To star board- - . -Helm got up in 50 see, With2o an angle rudder aeg. The half circle made In 3 min 30 sec and the full circle ..., Rev oatuons of engines of in 6 min 51 sec. Revolutions of engines as before. half-power, with ordinary wheel on deck- , -To Starboard —Helm got up in 1 min 30 eec, with the rudder to An angle of 24 deg. The half circle triad,: in 4 min 9 see, and the tall circle in 7 min 3l sec. Revolttions of en,tir‘se 36 to 36. Half-power, with pilot house wheel, which is fitted with multiplying power__ To pot - r , --Helm up in 1 min 30 eec, with the rudder at an angle of 404 17,,z. The half circle wade in 3 "'in 8 see, and fuli circ,le in 6 min 4 SPr. To starboard— Helm up in 1 mi . :, 1 0 sec, with_ the rudder at an angle of 39 deg. ci rcle 'an 6 mist 34 sec. The revolutions of Shy engines wer e T n .', half circle iliade in 3 win 1g 'cc, an d t h e f ull '-‘1 both instances frcra 38 to Zi, 'there is a remarkable dif ference shown hone in the angles of the rudder obtained with the tiro 'wheels, being no less than 40i deg by the pilot- h.okino wheel against 101 deg obtained by the ordinary wheel on deck. The diameter of the circle made by the ship was much less with the pilot-hoLve wheel in use than it was with the deck-wheel in use. The temperatures were—during the flied run at the Ines. sured mile—on deck 64 deg ; engine room, forward, 66 deg, aft, 67 deg; stokehole, fore part, 108 deg., middle, 102 deg, after Stoke oke deg,h hole, part, le engine fore 2 d room,egp a ; r t, 4th floo r r s u w n adr a ed i g t , the6mB middle demeasured lalafter e deg,: p i t 0 81 deg. This concluded the trial of the ship at the measured mile, when, in consequence of the lateness of the tido, shp was steered back into Portemou.h harbour, and moored in her old position alongeide the dockyard, which she wil! i ' alter ;2dpd'aeerg: most probably leave again to-day to test the working of her anchors and chains. The most interesting portion of her trials, however, will be her run outside the Isle of Wight, and the firing of tiler guns in different positions, and there is every reason to believe this trial will prove to be quite as satisfactory as the speed trial of yesterday. The ship was very steady, and very little movement of any kind was felt when racing over the course at the mile, except a slight lateral movement in her turrets. Any recurrence of a siu filar accident to that which occurred on her late prong minary trial trip has been provided against as far as possible by fitting expansion joints, &c., to her stop-valve boxes, bnt the real value of these remedial measures can r.nly be tested in moderately rough weather off the Wright. The ventila tion of the mess and berthing deck of the ship yesterday appeared to be perfect, and there was also plenty of light, The officers' cabins are unusually lofty (gained from the arched de-A), and they also have abundance of light, The ship's framing is ventilated on the plan of Staff-Surgeon Edmonds of her Majesty's ship Victory, and on measuring yesterday the strength of the current of air that was passing up from the vessel's hold and bilges by the air shafting Into the ship's funnel it was found to be moving at the rate 'of 31 ft per second, equal to 225,000 cubic feet per hour. During the time the ship was making her full boiler power runs at the mile Admiral Robinson, with Aomirals Sir M. Seymour, Elliot, and Dacres, entered the third turret and examined its sights for training and its general fittings, together with the 160-pounder gun and its system of elevation and depression—the different points of interest being pointed out and explained by Captain Cowper P. Coles, R.N. It is a remarkable fact that these monster guns of the Royal Sovereign attain an amornt of elevation such as can be given to no other covered gun in the navy-18 deg, The Royal Sovereign has so far, ae we said at the cormr mencement of this report, without doubt th e 'proved a great success. Sh e i s most formidable ironclad afloat, provided she has water of sufficient depth to manoeuvre in, and we think th , - country may rest satisfied that, under the corn- LOP' ..ird of so distinguished an officer as Captain Sherard Os born, if she should ever be brought under fire, she will do honour to the British flag. Naval and Military Intelligence, M. de Qnaade, Danish Plenipotentiary in Lon don, and two attaches of the Legation, yesterday went over the departments of Woolwich Arsenal. Their visit to the establishment had been announced and was expected to take place on Monday last by a special memorandum from the War-office, in which the heads of departments were requested to afford them the facilities necessary for their inspec tion. The principal object of their visit yesterday appeared to be to inspect the laboratory, shell, and shot foundry, and the Armstrong gun taetory. To heir inspection of the latter department they de voted nearly two hours. The Transit, chartered transport, from Corfu, hav ing discharged her cargo of returned military stores, yesterday hauled off the pier at Woolwich arsenal. Her Majesty's ironcased ship Prince Albert, re cently launched at Mtllwall has been received into the basin at Woolwich, to be fitted with Captain Coles's three cupola batteries, which have been built up by the shipwrights at Woolwich during the construction of the ship in the builder's yard, and are now ready for disposal. Her Majesty's screw sloop Racer was yesterday commissioned at Woolwich by Commaader &urea for, it is stated, the West Coast of Atrica. Mr. G. W. Muir, who recently paid off the paddlewhec sloop Ardent at Woolwich, from the south-east coast of America, when he obtained his promotion. has been appointed Paymaster to the Racer. The Torch, 5 screw gunboat, havirg, since being docked at Chatham, undergone a careful survey at the hands of the master shipwright's staff, has been found in such a generally rotten condition that her repairs will detain her in dock some considerable rime longer than was originally anticipated. The exterior four-inch planking has been ripped off her sides, and the rotten condition of her timbers is easily perceptible. Although the Torch was only built some three or four years since, and has only been once in commisaion, many of her midship tim bars were found, on inspection, to be so rotten as to crumble to powder under the fingers. The Torch, it may be observed, is a contract•built vessel, and in this respect bears a remarkable contrast to the Cadmus, 21, built at Chatham dockyard, and now under repair in the adjoining dock to that in which the Torch is lying. Although constructed about 15 years ago, since which she has been in constant commission, th. o.ouaus are as sound as when cut in the dockyard, and no trace of decay can he deterted. The required nunatt7cr of non-commissioned officers and men havieg been obtained for the survey corn panics of Royal Engineers, orders have been received at heetiquarters, Chatham, directing volunteering for taut branch of the corps to bo discontinued until further orders., The men who have been transferred from the depot and other companies at headquarters to the survey companies have been put through a special course of instruction in topography, military drawing, and surveying at the schools attscned to neadqcarters, in order to qualify them for the duties on which they will be engaged. The companies of Royal Engineers employ e d on the Ordnance survey are the 131 h, 14th, 16tn, and 19ch. The 2d (Capt Franklin's) company of Royal En • gineers has received orders to embark for the Mau ritius, to relieve the 25th company, which returns to headquarters, Chatham, after an absence from England of nine years. Capt. Alfred P. Ryder, Controller-General of the Coastguard,is appointed Aide 'de camp to the Queen, vice Capt. Edgell, promoted to be Rear Admiral, The following ft ppoinunents bate been made at the Admiralty—Leut, 11.1- the For eley G. A. B e l son to midable—Tolle R. N. Moss, master, to the Asia—Henry N. Alleyne and Arthur C. J enner. C. Ye , - midshipmen, tha Racer—Arthur S. L eacock, G. ..og, and Wm. N. M tdan, milshipmen, to the wn—John Murdock, assist.-engineer, to the RA. coon—George J. H. Hogg, master's assist., to the Racer—Joshua J. Gormally, clerk, to the Prince Consort. The Case of Mx, Bewieke. ----- The select committee report that, in their opinion, Mr. Bewicke is not entitled to any compensation out of the public purse. They are of opinion that, in order to lay may ground for a claim to such com• pensation, it was incumbent upon Mr. Bewicke to prove that there had been a miscarriage of justice in his Case, through the default of the persotis charged with the administration of the law. And the committee, after careful inquiry, were satisfied that there Was no such default, They are unable to accede to the proposition, that persons who have been convicted in due courso of law by evidence subsequently proved to be false, are entitled to ootu pensation out of the public purse ; but even if they could have acceded to such a proposition, there are circumstances in Mr, Bewicke's Case that would have taken it out of such Firenefral ; Bewicke's own conduct, as a d mitted by himself, having fur nished material evidence in support of the accusa tion n .. -- oinst h i m, independently of other facts de posed to by witnesses of unimpeachable Character. to the peculiar circumstances of the case they sug gest for the favourable consideration of the Crown, whether the full value of his goods and chattels at the time of the forfeiture should not be restored to him, minus the net prcduco of the sale by auction, already voluntarily paid over to Mr. Bewicke by the commissioners, LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANIES.—A return just presented to the House ot Lords, on the motion ot Lord Overstote, states that since the Joint-stock Companies Act et 1855 came Into operation 3,t330 7 inti panies have been registered ; 938 of them have been wound up or are supposod to have been discontinued, leaving 2,892 still in opers.tion. These edrepardes proposed to make their shareholders liable for £429,103,622, that being the amount of their nominal capital. The following figures are greatly below the fact, the returns for the last 12 months not hav ing been received in many cases, but it has been ascertained that there were 209,126 shareholders, that of the 42,085,078 shares into which the capital was divided 10,110,5 58 .a b a a d , been tidCer4 and that calls animating to L 37,195,5 95 la been rPcetved. [ADVERTISEMENT ] —Holloway's Ointment and Pills. — Conclusive Evidenc.—Scarcely a day passes without laving behind it some proof of the curative powers of Holloway's world-esteemed Ointment and Pills. A. lady writes from New 011erton, Notts, on March 7, 1861 1 beg leave to state that a few weeks ago I had the misfortune to bruise my leg most severely. To my great surprise and inexpres sible delight your wonderful remedies were no sooner applied than they gave me ease, stopped inflammation, and made a pf ,rfect cure in an incredible short time." Testimonials Hn ch as the foregoing, which might be multiplied to any ex tent, should console the affi.cted and give hope to the de+ 'pairing wnen worn out by the maladies which seem um Tiles , ON, SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. TIMER,--Yesterday both houses were crowded to hear the Ministerial explanations which it was thought Most foiloW the important meeting of the Conference on Wednesday. Seldom has such anxiety been shown for the appearance of a Minis ter in his place as preceded the arrival of Lord Palmerston in the House of Commons; seldom bav the tedious gentlemen who begin the evening' s businetj been listened to with more oievions demon strations of impatience. The curiosity of the public was, however, not destined to be fully gratified. The Conference meets again to-morrow; and though it is known that at thle Meetinar it in only to transact some formal business, the Govern ment is not at liberty to presume that negotiations are at an end. As long as the Conference lasts it is possible that some proposition may be made tend. ing to the restoration of peace, and it would he pre mature, therefore, to make any annonerreectent im plying that a finel rupture has taken place. The crisis is eo serious and the deliberations on which the Ministry must enter are so important that every one will rejoice that they have three or four days to consider their situation and their policy. The Cabi net will meet to-morrow, and on Monday next the Premier will lay on the table of the house the pro. ceedings of the Conference, and will make a state ment on the important subjects which have occupied its attention. The country will then have an oppor tunity of judging how far its honour has been main tained in the past transactions, and how far the re commendations of the Government deserve its con fidence for the future. Of one thing, however, we may, happily, be certain. The protocols of the Con ference wiil make known not only how constant and urgent have been the efforts of the British represen tatives to devise means for the preservation of peace, but also how greatly the foreign members of the Con ference, including those most opposed to our views, have valued and a c k now l e d ge d t h e good faith and courtesy of our Government. Whatever may be the end of the negotiations, no one will charge us, and we shall not have to charge ourselves, with any fault of the nature either of rudeness or of deceit. Our representatives have neither allowed their convic tions to hurry them into any bitterness of expression, nor their policy to lead them into any dissembling of their intentions. They have with perfect fairness and courtesy explained the principles on which they take their stand, and convinced every one, both ally and adversary, that their only desire has been to maintain the peace of Europe, and to pre vent. if possible, an ancient ano respectable State from being despoiled in pursuance of theories wnich, if carried out, would bring humiliation on the great German Powers themselves. We believe the Pieni potentiaries of each State will be found ready to confess that if war, prolonged and embittered, is to be the fate of Northern Europe, the fault is not to be attributed to the counsels of our statesmen. Ae regards the foreign members of the Conference the opinion of our Government is equally favourable. They have, as far as they have exercised any inde pendent judgment, shown a tendency to di,cues the proposals submitted to them in a fair and friendly spirit, and it is probable that had they been empowered to deliberate and decide, and not re. etrioted to the communication of decisions made eesewhere, the result of the Conference might have been different. As it is, they have been delegates acting strictly under the instructions of statesmen who had come to a foregone conclusion on all the subjects in debate. They will separate with mutual good will and respect, though perhaps with no high notion of the advantages to be g,..ined from such .neetings as those in which they have played a decorous part for the past few weeks. The German Plenipotentiaries will, however, be able to inform their Governments from personal observation that in no class of English society has there been any animosity ag , inst their country or any wish to humble it, but that the action of Government end people has been influenced only by a convic tion that the Danish Government was defending rights which it is for the general advantage to maintain. The Conference has failed ; but we think it really desired its own success, The time and labour may not have been wholly lost if some of its members carry beck to their own countries a conciliatory temper, which may have its consequences when they are placed in positions of more real power. However, all is over, and it is for Her Majesty's Government to decide what is the course now to be taken. In what way should a great nation act which finds that its efforts to restore peace among its neighbours have been made in vain ? For several months, by constant communication with both parties, by alternate advice and remonstrance, by counsels that were generally wise, mingled here and there with expressions that may have been im prudent, the Government of this country has sought to hinder the deplorable events of which a new series will begin on Monday next. Both sides have lis tened to 05 with an outward show of respect, but have in the end followed the bent of their own in stincts and taken to war, because in war they have seen their best prospect of gaining their respective ends. Th© Germans would fight because a campaign gives them Schleswig; the Danes because they fancy that war, by calling others to their assistance, will give them the whole or part of the Duchy in absolute possession, while a continuance at the °lea relations without the Constitution of November would in no long time alienate Schleswig as much as Holstein, In the last act of this drama the situation of the leading personages is as strange as can be imagined. Prussia and Austria on the one side, and Denmark on the other, the invaders and the invaded, the tyrants and their victim, are found entirely agreed on the subjects in dispute. Each party rejects ou: scheme of arbitration, each party desires to settle the matter by the sword. England addresses useless remonstrances to both, and to strengthen her pacific representation turns in vain to France and Russia, who on their part affect unconcern, and look on the unequal combat with a feeling no stronger than curiosity. This is, uo doubt, a most embarrassing position for a neutral Power which has pronounced strongly in favour of peace. We find that the belligerents do not accept it, that the other neutrals are indifferent about it, and that the only way that we can promote it seems to be by going to war ourselves, a n d c h oos i ng as our ally one of the two parties who have rejected our pro sals. It is a matter that will call for all the delibe raton which the experienced statesmen at the heed of affairs can give it during the next tbree days. Whatever may be the dory of this country will, we feel sure, be reedil7 undertaken by all classes; and her Majesty's Government need have no fear of lacking support in any measure which may be necessary to maintain the honour and interests of the nation or the general safety of Europe. If these be endangered by the contest which is to recom mence on Sunday, if the Government be really able to show Parliament that on the fields of Schleswig great English interests are at stake, whether mate rial or moral, there will be no unwillingness on the part of the nation to act with vigour. If assured on these points, Parliament would be boned seri ously to consider whether the policy of mediation which has been hitherto practised should be aban doned for one of a less peacefal character. This most weighty question, with all its momentous issues, we leave for the present to the Government, bt lieving that it will be time enough to discuss any proposal for a change of the national policy when that proposal has been made on the responsibility of the Cabinet, POST —Far some time past numerous complaints have been made from year to year against the laws which regulate the registration of voters. Last moansoftbhee ae r autumn, while the revision courts were at work throughout the contitrfr, these complaints were more loud than usual. Thousands of voters in different districts, whose right to the franchise was tottnd to be undoubted, were compelled to avOkii fiefniqi the tetising barrister under pain of losing their electoral tfriviegea. In those Cquntiesi especially, where the two great f olitieal parties are pretty equally divided, the complaints of indignant electors were numerous beyond all precedent; and the grievance was, in truth, not a light one. It is hard to bore a right put in jeopardy by the mere caprice of a politioal opponent, and to be put to the alternative of either lowing it altogether, or of being obliged to defend it at much inconvenience, and often at considerable cost. The reau .v l o t n f i e% s or this policy of objecting to ♦otes upon y found who insufficient grounds ie found uponi the frl whole to answer. Atiny persons will :t vias defending their omit to take the proper refuse to take the of Pat halm nt electoral tights. Siime positively h inadvertence, fail to COM troutvie 1 others, through objections, as th, y die ; ph , wiTh the r, d flu b i v re e in k e: ti t: nt , fr:ng , g.-tits, are turned ; n o d ci t e h r u i ; te t r h m es e e sp . ecolo we the CD • rue that the grievance :n num battle of the a remedy The revising registration '‘ foodis e r • l o o n a t r c l c :7:1 o t: i n t s qbaurersitsitoenr, if satisfied that a frivolous objection has been made to any vote, may order the objector to pay cos ts to the amount of 20s. The inadequacy of this sum in cases of county voters is notorious. In order to defend his vote a min is often required to produce his title deeds, which are probably in the hands of his solicitor in the county town, or, it may be, in London. But wherever they may happen to be. and whatever may be their antiquity or their bulb, some one mast be employed to bring them to the _ • . . registration court, and 20s. is the utmost amount which their owner can recover in the shape of costf. for any expense ho caay have incurred. There is another grievance zonneeted with these objection, which render them still more vexatious. The pert Whose right to vote is disputed has no means of as certaining the ground which his adversary means ti take until they are confronted in the whole court He must, therefore, come prepared at all points to deteud hit; right, 4nd -_he trouble and expevae to which he is put may thus be considerably increased. Such are a few of the meet prominent grievances to which the present system of registration gives rise, and which, after the lapse of two-and -twenty years, an attempt is now being made to remole , "We allede to the Bill for the Amendment of the Registration bf County Voters, introduced by Mr. Dodson, which, wd tietrieretand, will probably receive the sanction of the Legislatnre daring 09 present teeeinn, Several of the provisions of tbie bill are intended to remedy the evils which we have shortly described. One section provides that all objections, 7eith the exception of theee official e il made by the overseers, must "set forth in opeein e n terms the ground, or several ereunde, of objection upon Which it is intended to rely. And the wor t section provides th a t do person so objected to shall be required to defend his vote before the revision court upon any other point than that upon wb i he has received due notice. This would prove "l e serious check upon th e p resen t vexa ti o ns system °, 6 l * objecting to votes upon frivolous grounds, or, a very frequently the case, upon no grounds at all. Nor would it leave the bona fide objector the smallest ground of complaint, for it would be easy for him to state his t rue reasons , if he had any, for objecting to hi s ne i g hb our ' s vote. I"` points to be discussed before the revising barrister would thus appear on the notice of objection. end' these being at once disposed of, there would be en end of the case. No fishing questions would be allowed, with the view of detecting some flaw i n an adversary' s t i t l e , o th er th an t h at set f or th in t he notice which the latter has received. Much Irre levant and irritating discussion would be thu s avoided, which, from the uncertainty at presen t li l t ; tending the nature of objections, is at times likeet to arise. Another important provision, intended to protect county voters from needless annoyance' is contained in the 22d s ec ti o n o f th e p ro posed bill. By this section any person whose vote has bee n objected to may make a declaration upon oath In answer to the grounds of objection alleged agains t it, and setting forth the facts upon which Le relies' This declaration is afterwards to be transmitted to the clerk of the peace for the county, and noti ce of this fact is to be sent to the objector. If, not withstanding this d ec l ara ti on , an d t h e re asons t which it is supported, the objector still persist i ll contesting the point, and he fails, the revising barrister is to be empowered to make him P ea y costs to the amount of £5 ; that is, five times th e amount which in any case can at present ° I imposed. In ordinary cases in which the P'rt/ objected to has not m a d e a a ec l eratile , on vbi n in answer to the notice of objection, but ha . simply appeared and defended his vote in the court of revision, the barrister is to be en" powered to give costs to the extent. of £3 if he iS satisfied tint I he objection is frivolous and vexatioure These provisions, and others to which we need ne t now refer, appear to be well calculated to protec t voters from annoyances to which they are wale' notoriously subject. It is also proposed to cast various additional duties upon the clerks of th e peace and the overseers, which, we should imagine' will lead to a consider Able incre se co expense. But considering that the pr e s en t Registration Act has been in force since the year 1842, we need no t be surprised that it should now rFquire amendmen t ' Upon the whole it has not worked b ‘dly, otherwise it would not have rem a in e d s o l ong unal t ere d. Be` . experience has clearly shown that it may be mad e to cause much unnecessary annoyanc e t o those fet whose protection it was especially designed--w e mean all bona tide possessors of the franchise. `Ye believe that the bill before the House of Comen° ° , 6 will much diminish, it it doss not remove, the WO that are now complained of. COUNTRY MARKETS. MANCHE STER—THURSDAY. A somewhat better attendance at our market to-day, b ut English wheat was in short su pply, an d h e ld f or an aI .A : vai.ce of is to 2s per qr, whi c h c h ec k e d sa l es , but a . inl` business occurred at an improvement of ls. American brought 2d per 100 lb over previous quotations. Flour wa s held for an amendment of is per sack, but only a limite d business. Oats and oatmeal in steady demand at former rates. English and Egyptian beans were 6d dearer. In Indian corn also there was a rise of 6d. BURTON. ON-TR. A fair show of grain at our Is to 28 per qr. Old white wheat..42B to 46s Old red wheat, 378 to 40 8 New do. . 428 to 46s New do. 3BB to 41s Malting bar1ey....328 to 358 Oats 198 to 28 8 Grinding d0.....288 to 30s I Beans 348 to 42s ENT—THURSDAY. market, and prices advanced BIRMINGHAM—TuunsDA.Y. There was a fair supply of English wheat at market to day, but the sale was dull, and last week's prices were ad vanced is per qr. Barley was more inquired for. Bean and oats were held for fully late prices Peas rather dearer. —English wheat was sold at 40s to 44s for white, and 36s to 42. per 36 stone for red. Barley, new malting, 30s to 38s per qr ; grinding, 24s to 26s Oat.. rid, 228 to 309 Per :30 oto.uo , IL Ifsb., lOs cv .".-t3. 130400, 368 to 40s Fitly p p. eas, 34s to 38s per 36 stone. BRISTOL-THURSDAY. A good supply of English wheat at market, for which farmers asked extravagant prices, hut on the sales effected the advance made was not over is to 2s per qr. Foreign wheat sold freely at le advance upon late quotations. Oita were in active request, and 6d dearer. Grinding barley . good demand at a similar advance. Beans and Indian torts were the turn higher in price. EDINBURGH GRAIN--JUNE 22. To. day there was a good supply of grain, which solo at about last week's prices. Wheat on the top N6d up ..... average Os 9d up. Barley on the top 3s Od duwu average Os 5d down. Oats on the top is Od down.... „ „ average Os 4 , 1 down' Beans on the top Is Od down average Os 2d up. Ave, age Prices. O I ,, c ! i Wheat. 2'El Barley 2 Bs lld I Beans 3ss '.. Total Supply and Sales. Wheat ...1224 qrs Sold 981 qrs 8ar1ey........ 22 qra Sold 129 qrs Oats .........1493 qrs Sold 1106 qrs Beans l_o qrs Sold 76 qrs Flour sells as follows :—Whites, 38a fild ; extras, 36s Od ; superfine, 34a Od ; fine, 32a Od. Foreign Mail Packet List. MAILS D E. kußtralitt and Mauritius, via Southampton....... June via :Marseilles Brazil and Cape Verds, by British packet. July 5 ,; (1 Cape of Good H o p e , A scens i on, and St. Helena, June China, Penang, and Singapore, via Southatupton.June --- , via Marseillet...,June 2i Falkland Islands Gibraltar, via Southampton ....... June India (Calcutta), and Ceylon, via Southampton June via Marseilles June 27 ~. India (Bombay), via Southampton via Marseilles Jaly 5 Portugal.... Nlalta, Egypt, and Aden, via Southampton June — 7 via Marseilles July o' Newfoundland Oporto and Vigo .. U. S. and British N. America, by Brit. packet.... June 3 0 ' by U.S. packet.... by Canadian packet. June 24. All parts of West Indies, including Chili, Peru, j chine 28. California. and British Columbia. FATAL aNs.h_ R o cy A k l ien L sg W t eo A rcdc Y ua yr A r e C an C fct l ee D tro E no N ok T opnl A ,a T cae b T no H e ua E rt th hit e : R l Cf -past e Mtim°l3t 3 e 1 o S ,c T l A o T ek l station of the Windsor branch of th e L on d on an d South 'Western Railway. A man, whose nam e i s believed to be Smith while attempting to cross the railway was knocked down by one of the down trains, the engine and carriages o f iinn which passed over his body and limbs, frightfully mangling the unfortunate man and causing instantaneous death. As sosn as the dreadful accident was perceived, the remains of the poor fellow were removed from the spot where he was killed and taken to the dead house at Ric hmond to a wa it the coroner's inquest. 'The d eceased, it is stated, was a foreman to a builder. This branch of the South-Western Railway has lately been singularly unfortunate with ragard to oecurreuces of this kind. Births. BARRY.—On the 23d inst., at Elmfield, Bromley•commont the wife of Charles Barry, jun., Ell., of a son. LORD.—On the 21st hat., at Sydenham, the wife of Capt. Lord. prematurely, of a son. PAPILLON.—On the 22d inst., at 1, Devonport-street , 1 1) oe•park, the wife of Phillip 0. Papillon, Esq., 1‘ 1 •P• , 0 1 a son and heir. NVESTPHAL.—On the 22d inst., at Clifton Cottage, Tula.. hill, Mrs. Westphal, of a son. Marriages. MAISEY—FLETCHER.—On the 22d inst.. at Saint Mary's Norwicn, Benjlmin, fourth son of Richd.Masseyt Esq , of Altrincham, Cheshire, to Emma, elder daughter of Josiah Fletcher, Esq., of Norwich. TYSSEN—LousADA. -- On the 21st inst., at Saint Nicbo/as Church, Sidmuuth, Captain Tyasen, R.N., of Wetly& Lodge, Hants, to Mary Jane, second (laughter of John B. Lousada, Esq., Peak House, Sidmuuth, Devon. Deaths. CRADOCK.—On the 17th inst., at his residence, Humber stone-gate, Leicester, Sheldon Cradock, Esq., aged 86. CRAVEN.—On the 21st inst , at 14, Park street, Grosvenor square, the Hon. Frederica liqvel Craven, aged 62. GEARY.—On the 231 iust , at North-end, Fulham, Thos• Geary, Esq , aged 94. JAR:WAY—On the 21st inst., at 15, Belgrave• road, gate, Miss Anne Jarman, aged 69 KING.-0a the 21st inst., at Longfield Court. Kent, the Rev. James King, rector of Longfield, aged 63. MATRIAS.—On the 21st inst., at Southend, the Rev. WO' Mathias, incumbent of Bartle, Somersetsbire, aged 48. STARK.—On the 22d inst., at Norwich, Mrs. Mich" Stark, of Lower Norwood, Surrey, aged 67. London: Peri:fled and Isrbffshed by WILLIAM ANDIMI-5 of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at"THE Sing Office No. Il* Strand, th, Precinct of the 3avoy. n the conn , y Midttlasex...Friday, June 21, 18411,